


Klance Appreciation Month

by Lanceeselhombre



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Galra Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) has asthma, M/M, Sick Keith (Voltron), Singing, almost everything has a sleep theme this is just how I am
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-14 01:19:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11772477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lanceeselhombre/pseuds/Lanceeselhombre
Summary: Prompts:Week 1: FirstsWeek 2: RelianceWeek 3: Free dayWeek 4: EmpowermentWeek 5: Life After Voltron





	1. Firsts

Lance slowly became aware when he felt someone gently shaking his shoulder. His eyelids fluttered but didn't open, and the shaking stopped. He yawned and lifted one of his hands to cover his mouth, feeling his fingers brush against a soft mass of hair that wasn't his own.

The brunette opened his eyes and tilted his head slightly to see who the hair belonged to, coming face to face with Keith. He suddenly became aware of the red paladin’s comfortable weight gently pressing him into the mattress and the consistent shivering of the other causing his body to vibrate.

Lance sighed. Keith was still sick. A few days ago he had gotten a strange alien sickness that was the opposite of a fever; instead of overheating he was freezing, and needed a constant source of external heat to keep him warm. Lance had been acting as the teen’s heater ever since he first got sick. The others would take him every few hours to give Lance a break to eat and use the bathroom, but he always willingly took Keith back afterwards. He loved getting to cuddle so much, even if it was with a reverse-feverish and half asleep Keith. Even though they were dating Keith wasn't very fond of the idea of cuddling yet, so he didn't get to do this much.

With a slow blink of his eyes Lance looked up to see Hunk smiling down at him from the side of the bed. “Hey.” He whispered, keeping his voice low so he didn't wake up the sleeping paladin cuddling into his chest.

Hunk smiled a little wider. “Hey. Want me to take him for a few?” He asked, figuring Lance would be hungry after a night of caring for his sick boyfriend. Hunk or Shiro normally took Keith in the mornings because Hunk was the warmest and the best cuddler and Keith and Shiro were brothers, so the transition between people was the easiest. Keith was very apparently not a morning person; the first time Lance tried to give him off they weren't careful enough and woke him up; as a result he refused to let anyone but Lance hold him for hours on end.

Lance looked down at Keith again, seeing that he was completely asleep. He yawned again and nodded. “Yeah.” He shuffled over a little so Hunk could roll over him and Keith to get to the side of the bed closest to the wall. Hunk shifted until he was comfortable and then reached for Keith, gently removing his hands from Lance’s shirt. He let Keith grip his own shirt and then pulled him over onto himself by his waist.

Keith stirred in Hunk’s arms and made a sleepy sound. Lance was quick to shush him and run his fingers through the teen’s hair, trying to get him to go back to sleep before he fully woke up and sunk into a sour mood. He whispered a long speel of Spanish words and phrases in Keith’s ear, words and phrases he had come to understand over time.

After a few moments Lance saw Keith relax again and sighed in relief. He didn't move to get up for awhile, not willing to risk waking him up again. When Keith seemed to be completely out again Lance slowly slid off the bed and got to his feet.

He left his room and made his way to the kitchen to get something to eat. Shiro was the only other person there when he arrived. He smiled when he noticed the Cuban enter and waved. Lance returned the favor and sat down next to him with a bowl of food goo.

“Morning.” Lance greeted, spooning some food goo into his mouth. He almost didn't chew at all before he swallowed, feeding himself more of the goo. He never took his time eating in space, the food didn't even taste good so there was no point.

Shiro smiled. “Morning. You're up earlier than usual.” He commented. Lance hadn't been leaving his room lately until around noon because of Keith.

Lance smiled as well. “Yeah, Hunk took Keith for me.” He said simply. Shiro knew he preferred to look after Keith as much as possible. His protectiveness of the sick paladin was derived from his experience caring for sick family members back on earth. In his household, a sick family member always had a specific person that was supposed to take care of them. In a way he guessed he could say that he wasn't good at ‘sharing’.

Shiro nodded, finishing the last of his food. He stood and stretched, placing his bowl in the washing unit that vaguely reminded him of a dish washer. “Do you want me to take him today?” He asked, figuring Lance would say no. He liked being lazy with Keith.

Lance shook his head. “No thank you.” He said politely, almost done with his food goo. He finished and put his bowl next to Shiro’s in the space-dishwasher and yawned. “I'll probably get a little more sleep if Keith isn't awake when I'm back.” He decided.

“Okay then. Hopefully he gets better soon.” Shiro said with a wave as he turned to leave. Keith was the first to get sick, so they didn't know how long it would take for him to get better. It didn't help that he was half Galra either.

Lance sighed. “Yeah.” He loved the cuddles and the clingy Keith, but he didn't like knowing that his boyfriend was suffering. It must be horrible to constantly feel like he was on the verge of frostbite.

Lance and Shiro said their goodbyes and left the kitchen, Shiro to go train and Lance to go back to his room. The blue paladin took long strides on the way, although he didn't rush. He could last the few extra seconds it would talk him to walk instead of run.

Keith was still soundly asleep when Lance returned to his room. Hunk was reading a translated Altean book on one of the tablets Allura and Coran had provided them with. He looked up when he heard the door opened and smiled, turning the tablet off.

“He hasn't woken up.” Hunk informed his friend even though the information was obvious. If Keith had woken up he wouldn't have gone back to sleep until Lance came back and would have tried to get up and go to his boyfriend even though his sickly body was unable to lift him.

Lance nodded. He walked over to his bed and brushed some of Keith’s hair out of his face. He was debating whether or not he should wake Keith up so he could eat, drink, and use the bathroom. He checked his clock and decided that he should be fine for another couple of hours.

Making sure to be careful, Lance got onto the bed on the side closest to the wall and laid on his side. He then eased Keith’s grip off of Hunk’s shirt and pulled him back into his arms. Hunk got off the bed and waved before he left them alone.

Keith stirred in Lance’s arms and opened his eyes tiredly. He began to shiver more because of the brief loss of contact when he was handed off and cuddled into his boyfriend. Lance smiled and tucked the covers around them tightly. “Está bien, go back to sleep bebe.” He whispered, tucking a piece of Keith’s hair behind his ear.

The red paladin sighed, his voice shaking from his shivering, and tucked his head into the blue paladin’s chest. He yawned, small tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Lance wiped them away with the pad of his thumb and kissed Keith’s forehead.

A small smile crept onto Keith’s lips as he closed his eyes and relaxed. He fell asleep again once he warmed up a little and his shivering wasn't as extreme. Lance noticed that he felt warmer than earlier that day. He was probably getting better, finally.

Lance sighed as well and closed his eyes. “Mejórate pronto.” He whispered.

//está bien=all is well  
//mejórate pronto= get well/better soon


	2. Reliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has an asthma attack in the middle of the night. Lance sings to calm him down.

He couldn't breathe. A phantom being was sitting on his chest and crushing his lungs, making him unable to take in more than a shallow breath. But he needed much more air than that. He was suffocating.

Keith launched up into a sitting position and hunched over, frantically clawing at his throat and chest, trying to pull off whatever was constricting his airway. He sucked in the little air he could and coughed raggedly, a deep panic flaring in his chest and causing his heart to pump erratically. He broke into an ice cold sweat as well and began to shake from the cold and from his wracking coughs.

The red paladin felt tears prick at his eyes. He didn't have his inhaler in space. He needed that. He had never been able to come down from an attack without it. He started to panic more, his vision quickly fading into static. He was going to die in space, and not at the hands of a Galran soldier, but at the fault of his own body.

Keith suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and someone sitting up next to him. That's right, he had fallen asleep in Lance’s bed. He had crawled in with him after he had a pretty vivid nightmare. Normally he would just suffer by himself, but Lance had come to him a few times before after he had a nightmare, and encouraged him to do the same.

The raven haired teen could hear his friend calling his name, telling him to relax. Telling him to breathe. But couldn't Lance see he couldn't? He was choking.

He felt strong hands push him back into an upright position and keeping him from curling into himself again. His hands were pulled away from his neck and his jaw was pushed upward, opening his throat to let in more air. It felt a little better, but he still felt a strong urge to curl in on himself and try to get rid of whatever was crushing his lungs.

Keith continued to hack roughly, barely able to get in enough air to accomplish such a taxing action. He tried to claw at his neck multiple times, but Lance guided his hands away each time. He could hear the brunette say something about leaving his throat alone, but he was struggling to listen. He was too scared.

Terrified tears were pouring down his cheeks, and he could hear his coughs taking on an edge that make them sound more like sobs. Oh god, he was going to faint. He felt horrible; he felt like his throat had closed in on itself and there was a hot burning in his lungs that begged him to breathe, but he couldn't. And that was absolutely terrifying.

Lance’s arms wrapped around his stomach and his chest gently pressed against Keith’s back. The brunette shushed him and told him to take deep breaths. Keith wasn't sure if it was the panic that made him do it, or if it was the soft coaching in his ear, but he tried to follow Lance’s instructions.

He was struggling to suck in as much air at once as he could; he didn't even feel like he was doing anything differently. But words of praise were being whispered into his ear, urging him to not give up. He kept trying, and eventually his lungs began to open again, and he could breathe a little easier.

After a moment he realized Lance had stopped talking to him. It took another moment for him to realize that Lance had begun to hum the tune of a song. He knew the song too, but he couldn't remember what it was called.

And then the lyrics started. “Sleep on me. Feel the rhythm in my chest, just breathe.” Lance sang with such a soft, low voice that was nothing short of beautiful. If Keith wasn't struggling to breathe he would have either laughed or cried at his song choice. ‘Guillotine’ by Jon Bellion. Of course.

“I will stay, so the lantern in your heart won't fade.”

A smile began to pull at the sides of Keith’s lips. Lance was always the romantic. The song was soft, slow, and calming. He continued to breathe as deep as he could, feeling the tightness in his chest unravel slowly.

“The secrets you tell me I'll take to my grave.

“There's bones in my closet, but you hang stuff anyway.

“And if you have nightmares, we’ll dance on the bed.

“I know that you love me, love me.

“Even when I lose my head,

“Guillotine.”

It took awhile, probably close to an hour, but Keith was eventually able to calm down enough to breathe comfortably again. He sighed and leaned back into Lance, letting his head rest on his friend's shoulder. Lance continued to dig even after Keith had calmed down and began to rock them both gently from side to side.

The soft motion began to lull Keith to sleep after several minutes, along with the low song lyrics still drifting into his ear. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off, feeling calm and safe in Lance’s arms.

“Thank you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.


	3. Free Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith cuddle under the stars.

Lance silently gazed at the billions of stars surrounding him, each gleaming in a different way than the others. They slowly, ever so slowly, floated in and out of view as the castle flew past them. The only light in the room was coming from the shine of the stars, faintly illuminating the round couches, the pristine walls, the clean floors, and the two people resting on the couch at the room’s center.

Lance was laying on his side with his head propped up on the arm of the couch, one arm partially hanging off of the couch and the other resting in the dip of his waist. His legs were intertwined with Keith’s, the teen lying in front of him on his side as well with his head on Lance’s outstretched arm. They were spooning, Lance acting as the big spoon and Keith as the little spoon.

Keith was watching the stars as well, tilting his head to look at the occasional meteor or an exceptionally bright star. His ears twitch slightly every few seconds, picking up sounds that Lance’s human ears could not detect. His tail had slowly wrapped around Lance’s leg, protecting itself from being crushed accidentally.

They didn't really do this often, laying awake and watching the stars while they should have been sleeping. Usually they would sleep in their own rooms, or occasionally together if one of them had a nightmare. But tonight was different. Neither of them were tired, and being out in the open felt better than being holed up in a bedroom.

Lance could have listened to his music and drawn until he felt tired enough to sleep, but he was there for Keith. It didn't happen often, but sometimes he just needed to cuddle. To be near Lance. Because for most of his life he had been alone, and he finally had a family to call his own in space. Most of the time the fun they had during the day was enough, but sometimes he needed to have one on one intimacy on a platonic level.

And night was the best time for that; no one was awake, and everything was slow and quite. The lights were dimmed and turned off in some places, leaving only the starlight to light their way. It was calm, relaxing, and soft.

They never talked either. There wasn't much to say. They just laid on the couch, keeping each other warm and gazing up at the stars. The silence was heavy, but comforting, like a weighted blanket.

Neither of them knew how long they laid there, but neither cared. Time didn't seem like a constant when they were surrounded by open space like this. It felt like they were floating in a single moment, free to stay for however long they wanted.

Eventually, Keith’s tail unraveled, and he flipped over to face Lance. He looked tired and ready to sleep, but didn't close his eyes. He stared up at the stars, searching for something in them he couldn't quite find. Lance smiled softly at him and kissed his forehead. Speaking the first words of the night, he gave Keith three words of advice.

“Count the stars.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.


	4. Empowerment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Keith comes out as half Galra, Allura doesn't take it as well as he would hope.

“Get away from me you monster!”

Keith clamps his hands over his ears and presses hard, trying to block out the voice screaming at him. He’s long since run away from its source, and is still running, but the words still haunt him.

“Don't touch me!”

“Don't look at me!”

“Stop!” The red paladin cries as he scrambles around a corner, punching the control panel to a room that he barely recognizes as his own before he runs inside. He slams into the back wall of the room, slowly sliding down to the floor with his head shoved in between his knees, hands still clamped over his ears.

But the voice doesn't stop. It continues to snarl insult after insult at him mercilessly, completely ignoring his desperate pleas for it to stop. He vividly remembers the horror, the fear, the disgust in each word.

“You're not worthy to be a paladin of Voltron!”

“Traitor!”

“GET OUT!!”

Tears pour down the paladin’s face, dripping off of his chin to the floor, beginning to form a small puddle between his heels. A powerful sob chokes him and his breathing hitches in his throat before he lets out an anguished scream so loud that his ears ring. Good, if his ears ring then he can't hear the hatred in the shouts of his teammate.

“GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM!”

He begins to tremble harshly, his body ice cold from the hatred in her eyes, the stone cold unforgiveness that is completely uncovered in her hard glare. Another crushing sob makes its way past his lips, cutting through the thick silence in the room. He was alone. No one wanted him anymore.

“YOU MONSTER!”

“STOP!”

“Keith!” He knew that voice. But who was it? He couldn't tell, they were being drowned out by the horrified screams in his mind.

Suddenly, there are hands touching him, the warmth of breath in his hair. Fingers gently work at his clawed hands, loosening their death grip on his ears. Within seconds he can hear again.

And he hates it.

Keith shoots back against the wall, shrieking at whoever it was to leave him alone. He’s a monster, a traitor, less than a human being. They aren't safe around him, he’ll snap and become just like them.

“Keith!” The voice is closer this time, louder. Arms wrap around his quaking frame and hold him together while he breaks at the seams. Another person’s body warms his icy skin, and he longs for it.

But he’s pushing, shoving away from the arms. He doesn't deserve comfort, he doesn't deserve warmth. He’s a monster. But the arms aren't budging, no matter how hard he tries. Why aren't they budging?

Keith fights against the other person, punching, kicking, clawing with every ounce of strength he has in his body, shrieking, sobbing, and crying. He isn't worth the trouble, why are they trying? Why didn't they give up when he started fighting against them?

Eventually, Keith can't fight anymore, and all he can do is sob. Strong arms are lifting him off the ground, and the hard, cold floor is replaced with the soft warmth of pillows and blankets. The person lays down on top of him, covering him with a heavy blanket and cushioning his head with a pillow.

The actions make Keith sob harder. Why are they trying? Why do they care? Why did they even follow him? Wasn't everyone afraid of him? Didn't everyone hate him?

At the same time, the actions comfort Keith’s anguish. Someone did care. Someone followed him and was offering him comfort, a warm place to cry, a shoulder to cry on. He wasn't alone. Someone wanted him.

For a long time, all Keith can hear is his own deafening wails. They coat the atmosphere in a thick layer of pained despair, and the air becomes almost unbreathable. His tears don't end, and neither do the shrieks that are rubbing his throat raw. But the person doesn't leave, and they don't waver.

Finally, his tears dry up. His shrieks and sobs die down to occasional hiccups and lost whimpers. Finally, the person moves above him, and there are lips against his. Soft, plump, warm. The feeling almost makes him cry again, but a voice rises in panic and shushes him, telling him that he is okay. That there’s no need for tears.

He dares to believe.

Keith opens his eyes, being immediately met with darkness. Did he turn off the lights when he rushed in? Had they already been off when he came in? Either way his eyes adjust, and within seconds he can make out the sharp outline of his teammates jaw.

It's shape softens into a smile. “Welcome back.” Lance whispers, thankful that his friend was no longer in hysterics. He brushed some of Keith’s bangs from his eyes and wipes away his drying tear tracks, soft and gentle.

Keith gulps as he looks up at Lance. He wants to say he’s sorry for his breakdown, that he’s sorry Lance had to deal with him for who knows how long, cuddling him while he shrieked and sobbed and screamed and wailed like a child. But his voice is gone, his throat too raw for speech.

Somehow, words aren't needed. “We love you Keith, you're not a monster. You're a beloved paladin of Voltron and we all want you here.” Lance says confidently, his voice unwavering and strong yet soft in the inky black of the room.

He’s somehow read his mind, and Keith breaks down again. He cries and hiccups and sobs again, just as strongly as before, but for different reasons. He is wanted. He is loved. He is part of a team.

He is half Galra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.


End file.
